Wing Yip will start work on expanding the size of its Cricklewood store in the next quarter.

The specialist oriental wholesaler, which operates four sites, will increase the size of the North London site from 57,000 sq ft to 73,000 sq ft as it looks to increase bulk storage space.

The wholesaler is also applying for planningpermission to expand its Croydon store after it purchased an acre of land on the site in 2012. It hopes to start redeveloping the site in Q4, increasing the size of the store from 41,000 sq ft to 75,000 sq ft.

“We’re redeveloping our existing stores to make them more spacious, have a broader range and create a better customer experience all round,” said director Brian Yip. “Hopefully we’ll start work on the Croydon store at the end of the year. It should take about 12 months to complete and will be ready for Christmas 2015.”

He added that the company had also launched a new marketing strategy aimed at educating consumers about oriental foods, encouraging them to try new, authentic ingredients and experiment with different flavours.